Episode 85: The Summer I Turned Pretty S2E7-8 (Season Finale)
We're finally closing out Season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and buckle up - these episodes are annoying in ways that even we didn't expect. Where's the action-packed finale energy? Buried under repetitive arguments and questionable parenting decisions, apparently.
What You're Getting Into: Belly drunk-dials her mom after the house party spirals out of control, leading to Laurel discovering the trashed beach house and her daughter's multi-day lying streak. What follows is a masterclass in awkward stage combat (seriously, someone get these actresses into Patrick Duffy's slap seminar), circular arguments about grief and responsibility, and somehow zero consequences for destroying an entire house.
Peak Dumpster Moments:
The Inheritance Mess: After an entire season of wondering why this house situation is such a disaster, we finally learn that Susanna DID try to handle it before she died, reaching out to lawyers and Aunt Julia about the trust. She just... thought it was resolved? Meanwhile, everyone discovers that apparently no one in this family understands how property law works, and we're left with more questions than answers about capital gains taxes and why Susanna didn't just buy Julia out in the first place.
The Love Triangle Status: Belly and Jeremiah finally kiss (he initiates it in the book, she does in the show - crucial distinction, obviously). She seems pretty decided about being with Jeremiah by morning, though the book keeps it more ambiguous. Conrad continues his campaign of making everyone uncomfortable, proving that being pre-med doesn't automatically make you emotionally mature.
Parental Apology Tour: Laurel apologizes to Belly for slapping her, then apologizes for being a "zombie" for four months while grieving her best friend. Belly faces exactly zero consequences for lying, partying, and destroying a house. We have thoughts about this parenting approach, and none of them are particularly charitable.
The Volleyball Subplot: Taylor spends both episodes trying to get Belly to volleyball camp like it's the most important thing in the world. Spoiler: Belly eventually goes, and the final scene features her playing volleyball while contemplating her uncertain but hopeful future. This entire subplot doesn't exist in the books because it doesn't need to.
Book vs. Show: The adaptation stays mostly faithful, with key differences including Aunt Julia's absence from the finale confrontation, Conrad having two finals to study for in the books (psych and biology instead of just biology), and who initiates the kiss between Belly and Jeremiah. The show's ending is less ambiguous about Belly's choice, while the book keeps readers guessing a bit more. Both end with Belly's line about the future being unclear but still hers.
Coming Up Next: We're diving into The Wrong Paris starring Miranda Cosgrove - a Netflix rom-com where someone confuses Paris, France with Paris, Texas for a dating show/art opportunity hybrid that makes absolutely no sense. The premise is older than dirt, the director's resume includes Irish Wish and various Hallmark Christmas movies, and the producer worked on House Hunters. This is going to be spectacularly bad, and we cannot wait.